Elizabeth Irish Perry collection on Luther Whiting Mason
Collection
0475-SCPA-LWM
Luther Whiting Mason (1818-1896) was an American music educator that taught and wrote textbooks on how to teach music. Mason emphasized the use of charts to explain scales, staffs, clefs, not values, intervals and dyanmics. During 1880 and 1882 Mason worked for the Jaapnese Ministiry of Education at the Tokyo Imperial University to develop programs, textbooks, and curriclum to teach American and European music. After leaving Japan, Mason vistited Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Norway, Sweden, and England to observe music teaching methods. The Elizabeth Irish Perry collection on Luther Whiting Mason covers the period 1680~-1968. A majority of the materials date from 1863 to 1896 with post 1800 material being photographs of the collection itself or writings about Mason. The materials were collected over Mason's life and held by his family which were deposited to the University of Maryland in 1972. Full ownership of the collection occured in October of 2024. The collection consits of correspondence, newspaper clippings, books, musical instruments, clothing, photographs, recordings, home decour, textiles, wall hangings, fans, and toys.
The collection is open for research use. Materials from this collection must be used in the Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library's Irving and Margery Morgan Lowens Special Collections Room during SCPA’s operating hours. Please contact the curator for an appointment or if you have questions related to digital access of the materials.
Copyright was not transferred to the University of Maryland with the gift of any copyrighted materials. All rights remain with the creators and rights holders. The University of Maryland Libraries is granted permission for the use in scholarly research by the Libraries’ patrons under fair use in Section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Act.
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15.0 Linear Feet
English
Japanese
The Elizabeth Irish Perry collection on Luther Whiting Mason contains materials that span the years 1852 to 1995. The items within this collection contain Japanese string/wind musical instruments, wall hangings, toys, home-decour, clothes, correspondence, books published by or about Mason, photographs of the collection's use and from Mason himself, and recordings.
Luther Whiting Mason was an 1800s music educator from the United States of America. Mason was born in Turner, Maine in 1818 and from 1852 till 1879 he worked as a music teacher. This career occured across three cities which are Louisville, Kentucky (1852-1855), Cincinati, Ohio (1865-1864), and Boston, Massachusetts (1864-1879). All the while Mason wrote and published textbooks that aided teachers in creating and planing lessons that tuaght music. Mason emphasized the use of charts to explain scales, staffs, clefs, not values, intervals and dyanmics.
In 1880, the Japanese Ministry of Education began looking for American educators they could hire to aid in the creation of a new music program for the nation. Isawa Shuji, a former puple of Mason in 1872, vouched for Mason and in Boston Mason was hired. Mason stayed in Japan at the Tokyo Imperial University from 1880 to 1882. During those years, he worked with Shuji to develop curriclum for elementary and middle schools that tought music as well as develop training programs to train future teachers to teach music. Additionally, Mason wrote musical textbooks for these courses and help lay the foundation for the national music conservatory, known as the Tokyo Ongaku Gakkō which is a part of the Tokyo University of the Arts.
Despite hoping to stay in Japan, Mason's contract was not renewed and he left the country in 1882. The following years after mason traveled across Germany, France, italy, Spain, Norway, Sweden, and England to collect music books and observe various music teaching methods. Mason died in Buckfield, Maine on Julay 14th 1896.
The Elizabeth Irish Perry collection on Luther Whiting Mason is organized into seven series:
Initially placed on indefinite deposit at the University of Maryland by Elizabeth Perry in April 1972. The collection was converted to a gift to Special Collections in Performing Arts in October 2024.
Part of the Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library